This invention relates to novel 2-pyridyl and 4-pyridyl phosphine gold(I) compounds which have tumor cell growth-inhibiting activity, pharmaceutical compositions containing an effective tumor cell growth-inhibiting amount of such a novel compound, and a method for treating tumor cells sensitive to such a compound by administering tumor cell growth-inhibiting amounts of such a novel compound to a host animal affected by such tumor cells.
The 2-pyridyl and 4-pyridyl gold complexes of this invention are not known. Cariati et al., Inorg. Chim. Acta, 1(2), 315-18 (1967), Bates et al., Inorg. Chim. Acta, 81 (2), 151-156 (1984) and McAuliffe et al., J. C. S. Dalton, 1730 (1979), disclose bis[1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane]gold(I) chloride. Struck et al., J. Med. Chem., 9, 414-416 (1966), disclose cytotoxic activity for 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane. None of the aforementioned references disclose or suggest the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions or methods of treatment of the instant invention.